FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Palmerston North
December 7th 2004
Largest Australasian Shaolin Kung Fu Black Belt grading held in Palmerston North
This Sunday 12 December, Palmerston North’s Shaolin Kung Fu School Nam Pai Chuan will host the largest number of Shaolin
Kung Fu students in Australasia to take part in a special Black Belt grading of adults and children, 1st Duin and 2nd
Duin grades. Fourteen students will take part, some of which have been training nearly for ten years to achieve their
2nd Duin grade.
Grading for a Black Belt is both physically and mentally challenging as students complete the entire school syllabus
non-stop, spar several current Black Belts and attempt board breaking exercises for the first time. Weapons forms
performed by the 1st and 2nd Dan candidates will also be a highlight of the event, with a large audience expected to
attend.
Another highlight will be Daffyd Roberts, a 2nd Dan student, completing the traditional Chinese tea ceremony where they
are required to prepare tea for their Sifu (teacher). Sifu’s acceptance of the tea means they are welcomed into the
system for life; otherwise they must leave the school and never return.
To add a special significance to their training, many of these students will be travelling in June 2005 to train with 80
year old Master Quek Heng Choon in Malaysia. Master Quek is renowned for his skill and best known for his Iron Palm
techniques that see him break a marble table with a single strike. This is a rare privilege as only two students of the
Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan system have previously received this honour, one being Sifu Gary O’Sullivan who is head of the New
Zealand Shaolin Kung Fu School Nam Pai Chuan. The students will also visit the Shaolin Siong Lim Temple in Singapore
where their Ancestor Monk Seh Koh San was abbot, and finally arrive in the United Kingdom where they will train with the
founder of the Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan system, Master Christopher Lai Khee Choong.
Another milestone will soon be reached for the school with its Palmerston North Kwoon (training facility) celebrating
its ten year anniversary. This is the only dedicated Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan training facility in the world and has
welcomed many international visitors over its years.
Doors open at 12:30pm on Sunday 12 December at the Shaolin Kung Fu School Nam Pai Chuan, 48 Kelvin Grove Rd, and all
visitors and future students are welcome. Junior grading for those below Black Belt will be taking place at 12:30pm on
Saturday 11 December. Both days will offer a sausage sizzle as fundraising for the June 2005 trip.
- End -
Students will available for photographs and interviews from 6:30pm on Wednesday the 8th of December at the Kung Fu
School Nam Pai Chuan, 48 Kelvin Grove Rd,
Palmerston North.
About the Shaolin Kung Fu School Nam Pai Chuan
The Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan system was brought to the United Kingdom in 1979 by Master Christopher Lai Khee Choong who
studied under Master Quek Heng Choon. Master Lai taught Sifu Gary O’Sullivan who brought the system to New Zealand in
1996. Si Heng Daffyd Roberts, aged 24, will be only the second student to perform the tea ceremony for Sifu and it is a
great honour to be bestowed upon a student.
With its New Zealand headquarters in Palmerston North, many other Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan schools have been started around
the country and throughout the Asia Pacific region. New students are welcome and venue information can be found at
www.shaolinkungfu.co.nz.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Sifu or Simo
Kung Fu School Nam Pai Chuan New Zealand
http://www.shaolinkungfu.co.nz